


Of All The King's Men

by Sincognito



Category: Underfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: I think this is kinda slowburnish?, IDK I've never written this sort of thing before, M/M, NSFW content in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-12-23 19:42:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11996649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sincognito/pseuds/Sincognito
Summary: "Of all the King's men, you fell in love with me."A story in which Sans and Papyrus are raised separately. When they meet once again as adults, Sans isn’t sure why he is feeling such odd things towards his younger brother and future King.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Yo everyone, so sorry it’s been a while since I last posted. Again, I’ve been very sick and this little chapter may not be up to my usual standard as I’m only just getting back to normal. Please note as this is a prologue it is not as long as future chapters will be.

Asgore breathed deeply, his body giving an involuntary shudder as the icy air scratched down through his throat and lungs. Despite his heavy robes and thick fur, it still felt as though there was nothing between the cold and himself. It was the harshest winter they had encountered so far during their time trapped under Mount Ebbot and had thus caused its rightful amount of dissonance among the population. Even the Royal Guard were powerless against the might of Mother Nature at her worst. 

There was scarce a single ray of sunlight to be found, and as a result, the temperature throughout the entire Underground had plummeted immensely. There had been no word from Snowdin in weeks, and even though many of the monsters there were built to survive freezing conditions, it was unlikely that more than a handful could have survived the mass food shortage. The ice had made it impossible to transport any supplies further than Waterfall – the rivers frozen dead and the snowstorms too dangerous to dare trek forth through. 

Unfortunately, Snowdin was not the only cavern suffering. The pools of water in Waterfall, vital to many aquatic monsters, too had grown solid. Those who could not find warmer waters had perished within mere days of the big freeze. The guard had spent weeks digging deep into the ground between Waterfall and the Hotlands to create more pools that would hopefully retain at least some measure of warmth, only to find that their efforts had been too little too late. 

It had been then that Asgore had called back his forces – the strong monsters would survive – anyone who did not, was not worth the King’s time. 

With little food, there had been unseen levels of violence, and it seemed even the slightest mishap could create a brawl in seconds. Monsters were looting stores, dusting each other to raise their health just that little bit higher, and acting as though they had nothing more to lose. Perhaps they didn’t; countless monsters had lost their entire families to the winds of winter. 

Asgore cared little for the skirmishes involving a few lowlife beasts – if they couldn’t survive, so be it – every person lost meant that their issue of overcrowding was lessened. The world was kill or be killed after all. The monsters that prevailed would come out of the heinous season all the more powerful, and the King would be certain to offer the best of them positions of power within his army. He would pay them handsomely of course, it was far better to have them fighting for the crown rather than against it. 

The sound of armour clattering and chain mail clinking was all it took to break Asgore from his musings. He tiredly lifted his head from its position rested upon his fist and boredly regarded the monster that had disturbed him. 

“Speak,” he growled, shifting so that his posture was dead straight and his figure was fully extended to its imposing height. Even though he remained seated, he was still taller than the young guard, and he couldn’t help a half-smirk at the way the other seemed to almost shrink away at the sight. 

“Your Majesty, the guards at the front of the castle informed me that this monster was sent to speak with you.”

Asgore frowned for a moment, he had not seen another monster enter. He leant to the side, angling his head to gaze behind the guard. To his great surprise, there was, in fact, an even smaller monster stood behind the first. 

He waved off the guard, keeping his eyes firmly trained on the minuscule monster before him and the large bundle of cloth in his arms. A skeleton; somewhat of a rarity, it was a difficult feat to track one down, even in the confines of their tiny dissident world. He seemed to be shivering, despite the thick, fur-lined jacket he wore. 

“What brings you here, young one?” he asked the moment the guard had exited the room. He was genuinely curious, surely there was no matter of importance someone would entrust such a young monster with. 

The skeleton hesitated, glancing down at the bundle he held before stepping forward, reaching out, an envelope firmly clenched in his hand. “I-I was told to bring this to you, and that you’d know what to do with it,” his voice was tiny and unsure as he shifted his feet, one leg in front of the other, ready to flee should an issue arise. 

Asgore took the letter, breaking its seal with a single claw, pulling out the contents; a single piece of paper, and browsing over the hastily scrawled text. He was most unimpressed by what he discovered. 

He released a breath in irritation, folding over the parchment and slipping it into the inner pocket of his shirt. “Show me the child then,” he demanded most impatiently, head raised and eyes weighing heavy with scrutiny and a certain degree of distaste. He had far more pressing matter to which his attention was required, and the young skeleton had brought with it only yet another problematic situation. 

Sans, as the letter had named him, hesitated again for a long moment, obviously distressed by the entire ordeal. He spared a quick, almost apologetic look to the creature in his arms before holding it out to the King in a final act of defeat. 

The moment the skeleton relinquished his hold on his armful of blankets Asgore was swift to begin his inspection. He pried the fabric apart, searching until his eyes met with another pair. He was taken aback by the tiny child – so fragile and pure with its excited squeal upon sighting a new face – so much so he was forced to take a moment to maintain his fearsome composure. Asgore had almost forgotten such innocence still existed in their damaged world. 

The babe reached out, slim skeleton fingers attempting to grasp at the golden locks of foreign fur it had spotted, gurgling curiously at the new texture. Endearing, without doubt, but not quite enough to be worth the trouble it had caused. Regardless, there was nothing Asgore could do to change past events, and perhaps, there were still a chance of finding value in the mishap after all. He smiled mischievously to himself, eager to explore the new opportunities with which he had just been presented.

The sound of feet nervously shuffling reminded him of the other presence in the room, his face twisting into a most ugly scowl. “The agreement does not include you, you are no longer needed,” waving off the other monster briefly before once more regarding the infant. 

Sans’ expression immediately fell into confusion, quickly followed by realisation and then a fitting level of despair. “B-But I can’t just-” His attempt at a hurried reply died the moment Asgore glared down at him, affronted that someone would dare have such nerve as to speak against him. 

“It was not a suggestion. Leave,” Asgore turned, his thick crimson cape sweeping across the golden covered ground in an oddly elegant display for a monster of such size and strength. He began to walk away, caring not for the skeleton he left, mourning the loss of a child as Asgore himself once did amongst that very same field of flowers.


	2. Chapter 1

Papyrus squealed joyously as he barreled down the winding hallways of the castle. Every exhale of breath was mixed heavily with the sound of childish giggling and the occasional snicker or snort. 

He darted through a doorway, immediately beginning to weave between hordes of monsters. He dove between legs and narrowly managed to skid around the tightly packed appliances that filled the Royal kitchens. There were several angered shouts; more than one hand attempting to snatch him as he sped by and out the adjacent door. 

The young monster was quite aware of just how much trouble he would undoubtedly be in after behaving so poorly, but that only added to the thrill. 

There was no way Papyrus would willingly let himself be dragged back to another round of tedious lectures. He wanted to run around, to play with other children, not be cooped up in a dusty old study listening to some ancient monster ramble on about the so called important rules of ruling a kingdom. He had lost count of exactly how many times someone had tried to gain his interest in tombs filled with a higher concentration of dust than useful information. 

It was unfair really. He had seen what other children his age did – they had no burdens weighing down on them to stop them from having fun, spending their days making up games and engaging in play fights. Papyrus wanted to do that too, not that it would ever be allowed. 

He had been taught only hard work, his every waking moment dedicated towards study of some form. Often it consisted of hours of a single monster talking at him, detailing monster history, or the basics of ruling a kingdom, or adding yet another item to his unending list of future duties.

When he wasn’t being force-fed information verbally, piles of old books and scrolls would be dumped before him, the vast majority of them near impossible for his child mind to comprehend. Some of the texts were so aged that the wording had faded – others had a vocabulary Papyrus had never encountered – and the worst of them had concepts that he simply could not understand, hard as he might have tried. 

Then, of course, there were the gatherings and ceremonies he was made to attend. Strange monsters from all over the Underground greeted him, asking him questions, seeming determined to befriend him, much to his disliking. Papyrus wanted many friends, but the people there seemed to have a forced air of kindness about their person. Perhaps it was fear keeping them from displaying their true nature. 

It seemed that any monster that was in his father’s presence immediately grew nervous, making certain to consider their every word and speak with only the utmost measure of politeness. The tense atmosphere of any room the King entered was palpable, seeming to crush even the most courageous of monsters. 

Papyrus never truly understood it. Sure, Asgore was the King, and he ruled with a certain level of malice that even the small monster had noticed, but he didn’t appear to particularly go out of his way to damn an innocent monster. Then again, perhaps he was a more than a little bias in his view of the monster. 

The goat monster had never been cruel towards Papyrus, quite the opposite in fact. Asgore could have simply dumped his adopted child onto another monster to raise, but instead was determined to ensure he was reared correctly. He often spent time with the king, observing meetings and important public events. 

If he was ever confused, Asgore was always quick to explain, ensuring that the monster, young as he might have been, was greatly educated about the world around him. He knew the world was a nightmare that only the strong had a chance of ever waking from, and he knew that if he ever held hope of being King one day he would have to become the strongest of them all. 

But who ever said the strong weren’t allowed to have some fun once in a while?

Papyrus leapt through another doorway, pressing his body against the inside wall and out of view from anyone who spared a glance in the room’s direction. He smirked to himself, hearing several sets of feet rushing down the hall and was hard pressed to keep down his laughter. A handful of monsters began shouting his name, failing to hide the most obvious tone of anger from their voices as they all made their way deeper into the castle in search of his hiding spot. 

When he was certain the other monsters were far enough away, Papyrus crept back out into the hallway, sprinting back in the direction he had come from. He was so distracted by trying to stifle his giggles at he failed to notice another monster round the corner until he crashed right into them. 

The other monster staggered, but grabbed onto the wall, managing to remain upright, while Papyrus fell backwards, landing heavily on his tail bone. He grumbled, rubbing the aching bone to try and ebb away the pain before finally turning his full attention to the other. 

The monster appeared only few years his senior, judging from her height alone. Her short crimson hair was sticking out messily in all directions and there appeared to be dirt staining her clothing and hands. The fins of her ears perked and she tilted her head slightly to the side curiously. She looked as though she was about to speak when a deafening shout rang out.

“Undyne! Come back this instant!” The aquatic monster appeared panicked by the turn of events, reaching down in a flash and wrenching Papyrus to his feet. 

“Don’t just stand there, c’mon!” Her tone sounded hushed like a whisper, but the loud volume of her voice betrayed any attempt at subtlety. Still firmly grasping his arm the monster, now evidently named Undyne, began to hastily drag him further down the hall. 

Sensing the prospect of a possible adventure, Papyrus was quick to follow Undyne’s lead, only just managing to keep up with her lengthy strides. “Where are we going?” he asked between puffing air. 

The fish monster slowed, eyes darting about as they reached an intersection, “I dunno, where can we hide?” she was practically bobbing up and down with nervous energy, taking a glance behind them to ensure their pursuer was not in sight. 

Papyrus thought for a long moment, “My room?” he suggested. It was ingenious really, hiding from the enemy right under their noses. Before he could even begin thinking of a back-up plan, or an escape route they were off again, bolting as fast as their child legs would take them as though their lives were in grave danger. 

As a result, it took them only a short time to reach Papyrus’ residence. They slowed their pace, sneaking about, straining their ears for even the slightest sound. They managed to reach the room without fault and the two young monsters were immensely relieved, sharing a high-five in victory. 

“Whoa your room is awesome!” Undyne breathed, seating herself on the edge of Papyrus’ large bed as she took a moment to take in her surrounds. Almost as soon as she had sat down she was back on her feet again, looking through his array of books, before inspecting some of content on the shelves. “Got any toys?”

Papyrus hesitated, frowning in contemplation. He had never really received any toys, the King deeming them a waste of his time. It was odd to think that not all children spent every day studying and practicing to become the future ruler, and had the luxury of boundless free time. “I have some puzzles,” he suggested, crawling underneath his bed and dragging out a large chest. 

He snapped the locks, pushing the open the lid before retrieving several small cardboard boxes. Their once vibrantly decorated exteriors were now faded and it was difficult to tell what exactly each box contained. Fortunately, Papyrus had played with the puzzles enough to have remembered which went where. He was about to open up his personal favorite to show his new friend when there was a harsh pounding on his door. 

The two monsters shared looks of varying horror, both equally surprised at having been found so quickly. Perhaps Papyrus’ ingenious idea had not in fact been as clever as he had first perceived. 

As painful as it was to be forcedly dragged through the castle by his wrist, it didn’t seem quite as bad as poor Undyne’s fate; to be pulled along by a fierce grip to her ear. The whole way they had yelped and whimpered at every tug of the large monster’s hand – a rather harsh reminder to continue moving along. It was a tediously long and uncomfortable walk to the Throne Room, and Papyrus couldn’t have been gladder to finally be released. He quietly rubbed the bones of his wrist, watching as Undyne simply glowered angrily up at their escort. 

Asgore ignored them, continuing his conversation with the massive reptilian monster addressing him. “Are you certain there is no way to decipher the documents?” his voice was low, obviously struggling to contain his annoyance at the matter. 

“Aye, ‘tis impossible sire, we cannae do it,” Papyrus tilted his head at the odd voice, the accent unlike any he had encountered before, “Not without spendin’ no wee measure o’ time on it.” The lizard scratched at the deep green scales lining its jaw, seeming to be in a similar state of agitation. On closer inspection the reptile appeared to have webbed hands, looking more like fins. Coupled with its sleek, narrow body, hooked teeth and lengthy neck the monster seemed the perfect aquatic predator.

If the creature’s other features didn’t scream danger, its size certainly did. Asgore was a very large monster, but this one made him appear almost short, and even then, it sat hunched over. Extended to its full height the creature might have easily been twice the goat’s height. 

“Gather your best scientists, attempt to repair the damage as best you can without the files,” The King breathed, caressing the bridge of his snout with a heavy sigh. 

The giant monster bobbed its head low – as close to a bow as it could accomplish – before beginning to stalk from the room, taking great caution to avoid crushing any more of the King’s prized flowers than strictly necessary. 

Once they were relatively alone, Asgore rose from his throne. He wore his usual formal robes and armor, characteristic scowl firmly in place, the only thing missing from his person was the rather large trident he often carried. Of course, the gargantuan weapon was less for actual defense, and more for intimidation, not that he couldn’t instill fear in any monster’s heart as he was. 

Papyrus frowned as he watched his new friend bow respectfully. He knew he would grow accustomed to the sight over time, after all, people would one day bow to him like that. He couldn’t afford to look even slightly saddened by the action, no matter how much he simply wanted a friend to call equal. 

“Who is this?” Asgore hummed, looking over the small monster in his presence in interest.

“Undyne Your Majesty!” she beamed, flashing him an eager toothy grin, entirely unafraid of possibly upsetting the larger monster. 

The King was momentarily taken aback, blinking in confusion before chuckling quietly to himself, “Quite a brave one, aren’t you?” There was a certain look in Asgore’s eyes, one that Papyrus had scarce seen, but the meaning was obvious; he had an idea. “And just why might you be roaming the castle with my son?”

Undyne seemed to pause, before her head whirled around to look at Papyrus, and then back at Asgore again. In another situation, it might have been amusing to watch the other monster slowly put together the pieces, the cogs turning in her mind until she finally realized what Papyrus had thought to be already known. 

It all made sense – she didn’t know Papyrus had been the skeleton monster adopted into a life of royalty, she thought he was simply another child to invite into her fun little game. She had treated him just like any other child, she saw no difference. But now? Now she was sure to be just like every other person he had ever met; be nice to him, not because she wanted to be his friend, but because she had to. 

It hurt and he hated it. No matter how determined he might have been, he would never have true friends, would never be popular for any other reason than his nobility. 

“I’m here with my uncle,” Undyne finally replied, “he works as a palace guard.”

Asgore gave another hum, oblivious to Papyrus’ inner crisis, “Well, Undyne was it? Might I ask that you wait outside a moment, I must have words with my son.” His gaze sharpened as he turned to regard the smallest monster in their group, mouth pulling into a tight line. 

She spared an almost apologetic glance to him, before doing as she was bid, slowly walking back out of the room once more. 

There was a long silence, both remaining monsters staring into each other’s eyes, Papyrus with a hint of guilt, and Asgore with only deep disappointment. He turned beginning to stride calmly back towards the throne, Papyrus following a pace behind. 

“I believe you know what I have to say to you, Papyrus,” he was no longer looking at the young monster, instead gazing into the distance longingly, “My real son was like you, kind-hearted with just the right amount of mischief as there should be in a young monster. He was always eager to make friends and follow his heart rather than his mind.” 

His words only hurt Papyrus further, they hurt him every time he spoke about his ‘real’ son, his ‘real’ family. But he knew better than to complain. At least to not to Asgore himself. 

“He is dead.” He finally turned, glaring down at Papyrus, “And I will not lose another child because they are too weak. Understand?” He nodded nervously only to be startled by a shout, “I asked if you understood Papyrus, do you understand me?”

“Y-Yes. I understand,” he managed to quietly force out the words, growing even more afraid of the sneer he was being subjected to. 

“You need more confidence. You cannot hope to lead the Underground if you cannot even make yourself heard in a silent room.” Asgore turned away once more, beginning to walk towards the exit of the room, “I will send for you later tonight for punishment. Such unruly behavior as you displayed earlier today with not be tolerated.” Without another word on the matter he left.

Papyrus sat in the Throne room for a long while, silently watching as the buttercups and hanging vines swayed in the tender mid-day breeze. At some point Undyne had come back, sitting herself down beside him, sharing in his silence. 

“You can leave if you want, you don’t have to hang around me if you don’t want to anymore.” He continued to watch the flora, unable to watch his companion leave like everyone else. 

“Leave?” he was surprised by the confusion on her voice and chanced a glance back in her direction, “Why would I leave?” she demanded, “You haven’t even shown me your puzzles yet!” she leapt to her feet and snatched his hand again, practically yanking him from the floor and upright. 

Before he had the chance to react he was already being led back in the direction of his room by the over excited fish monster. Perhaps finding a friend wouldn’t be as hard as he first thought. Besides, it seemed Undyne could have cared less about his rank, wanting only to have fun with her friend.


End file.
